Railway-switch.



PAIENTED OCT. 31, 1905'.

F. L. YOUNG. RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 803,516. PATENTED OCT. 31, 1905. F. L. YOUNG.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 17. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FRANK L. YOUNG, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1905.

Application filed May 17, 1905. Serial No. 260,740.

To to whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. YOUNG, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Boston,

in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented anImprovement in Railway-Switches, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likefigures on the drawings representing like parts.-

This invention relates to railway-switches, and has for its object toprovide a novel means for preventing the moving parts of the switch frombecoming frozen or clogged with ice and snow.

. According to my invention I arrange the moving parts of the switch tomove over a bed piece which has provisions for being heated in somesuitable way, the heat which radiates from the bed-piece operating tokeep the parts of the switch sufliciently warm so as to prevent theirbeing frozen or clogged with snow. In one form of my invention thisbed-piece is chambered and is constructed so that a heating fluid may bepumped therethrough, and in another form of the invention the bed-pieceis arranged to have coils pass therethrough, through which coils theheating medium may be forced.

My invention also comprises a novel means for automatically oiling themoving parts of the switch.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a so-called splitswitch embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line as m,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the switch-railopened away from the main rail. Fig. 4 is a section on the line y Fig.2. Fig. 5 shows a modified form of my invention. Fig. 6 is acrosssection through the bed-piece shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is adiagrammatic view showing a complete system embodying my invention.Figs. 8 and 9 are transverse sections through different forms ofbed-pieces.

Referring now to the figures, 1, 3, and 4 designate fixed continuousrails, and 5 and 6 designate pivoted switch-rails, which are tapered orpointed and which can be moved toward and from the continuous rails toopen and close the switch, all as usual.

I have not herein shown any particular mechanism for operating theswitch-rails, as such mechanism forms no part of my present invention.

In accordance with my invention I place beneath each of the movingswitch-rails a member which I have designated a bed-piece and providemeans for heating the bed-piece.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the bed-piece is designated by 7 and is shown asbeing set into the ties or sleepers 8 and as having its top surface 9substantially flush with the top of the sleepers. This construction,however, is not essential, and my invention would not be departed fromif the bed-piece 7 rested directly on the sleepers instead of being setinto them. In such event, however, it would be necessary to make theswitch-rail of such a height that the combined height of switch-rail andbed-piece would equal the height of the main rail. The top surface 9 ofthe bed-piece forms the surface on which the pivoted switch-rail restsand over which it moves.

The bed-piece 7 is constructed so that it can be heated, and therebyprevent the switch from being clogged with snow or ice. According to mypresent invention I propose to heat this bed piece by circulatingtherethrough some suitable heating fluid, and for this purpose thebed-piece is either made hollow, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, or isprovided with chambers through which the heating medium may becirculated, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 8, and 9. Any suitable heatingmedium may be employed; but I prefer a non-freezing liquidsuch, forinstance, as an oil.

The bed-piece may be made in various ways without departing from theinvention. In Figs. 2, 3, and 8 I have shown it as formed of twosections 10 and 11, each of which is provided with one or morehalf-grooves 12, so ar ranged that when the two parts are broughttogether, as shown in Fig. 8, the half-grooves meet each other and forma chamber or passage to receive either a pipe 13 for conveying the oilor the oil itself.

The two halves 10 and 11 of the bed-piece may be secured together in anysuitable way, as by means of bolts 14.

It will be understood that if the pipes 13 are laid in the grooves theends of the pipes will be connected with each other, so that the variouspipes 13 form part of a continuous conduit or circulating system.

The bed-piece (shown in Fig. 9) is made by casting the metal of thebed-piece around connected pipes 13, which form part of the circulatingsystem.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the bed-piece is in the form of a hollow box which maybe made in two sections, if desired. The pipes containing the oil may betaken into'the box and placed in the coils therein or may simply openinto the box, so that the interior of the box forms part of the conduitfor conveying the oil.

I propose to use a bed-piece of some suitable form, such as abovedescribed, under each of the pivoted switch-rails, and preferably thepipes leading to and from each bedpiece will be connected topipesleading to and from the next adjacent bed-piece, so that severalbed-pieces will be connected in the same circuit or system. Forinstance, as shown in Fig. 1, 15 designates a pipe leading into onebed-piece 7 for the pivoted switch-rail 6, 16 a pipe leading therefromand into the bed-piece for the pivoted rail 5, and 17 the pipe leadingfrom the latter bed-piece and leading to one of the bed-pieces for anadjacent switch.

In order to attain the object of my invention, it is necessary toprovide some suitable means for heating the oil or other heating mediumand for causing a circulation thereof when desired.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated a complete system in which 7 designatesthreebed-pieces having within them chambers or pipes to receive oil andconnected with each other by other pipes 20, and 21 illustratesdiagrammatically some suitable heater for heating the oil while incircuit. The oil may be caused to circulate either by gravity or by somesuitable forcing mechanism such, for instance, as a pump 22. With thesystem thus arranged it will be seen that the oil is forced into theheating apparatus 21, where it becomes heated and is then forced throughthe various bed-pieces in succession, said heated oil passing throughthe bed-pieces and heating the latter sufliciently so as to prevent anysnow or ice accumulating thereon. The pipes connecting the bed-piecesmay be provided with suitable heat-insulating material, so as to preventthe cooling of the oil by radiation. By causing the oil to circulatemore or less rapidly the amount of heat which is delivered to thedifferent bed-pieces can be regulated, and thus the required amount ofheat to keep the switch clear may be furnished under all circumstances.

1 may, if desired, provide the portions of the fixed rails 4t and 5,with which the pivoted rails contact, with a chamber 18 and provideinlet and outlet pipes 30 and 31, which communicate with each chamber,so that a heating medium may be forced through said chamber of eachfixed rail, thereby to assist in keeping the parts sufliciently warm toprevent their being frozen.

Another feature of my invention relates to the automatic lubrication ofthe moving parts of the switch. I accomplish this by providing theconduit in which the oil is circulating with an automatieally-operatedvalve which allows a small quantity of oil to escape and lubricate thecontacting parts of the pivoted switch-rail In Figs.

as the switch is opened and closed.

2 and 3. this valve is designated by 23, and it closes against avalve-seat 24, formed in the bed-piece 7. The valve has, preferably, awinged stem 25, so that when the valve is lifted from its seat the oilcan escape. The valve is normally held to its seat by the switchrail 6,said valve being shown as having a boss or projection 27, which isengaged by the pivoted switch-rail. Said switch-rail is recessed at 28in such a way that as it is moved away from themain rail, as shown inFig. 3, the recess passes over the valve, and when this occurs thepressure of oil in the bed-piece will lift the valve, as shown in Fig.3, thereby allowing a small quantity to escape. As the switch-railcloses against the main rail the valve is closed again and held closedand the oil which has escaped finds its way between the contactingsurfaces of the bed-piece and the switch-rail,and thus lubricates them.One or more of these valves may be used for each switch-rail, ascircumstances require.

The movable switch-rails may have their usual shape. I prefer, however,to make them with the widened base-flange 30, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,so that when each switch-blade is closed against the adjacent main railthe flange just covers the bed-piece 7.

While I have herein illustrated my invention as applied to a so-calledsplit switch, yet it will be obvious that with suflicient modificationsit can be applied to a stubswitch or any other type of switch now inuse.

From the above it will be seen that the important feature of myinvention is providing a bed-piece beneath each moving switch-rail andalso providing means whereby said bedpiece may be heated, if necessary,to prevent the switch from becoming frozen or clogged by ice or snow.

While I have illustrated three different forms of bed-piece and threedifferent ways of heating it, yet my invention is not confined to thesethree ways, and therefore various changes in the construction may bemade without departing from the invention.

While it is within my invention to use any suitable heating medium, yetI prefer to use a non-freezing liquidsuch, for instance, as a heavy oil.I prefer to use this character of liquid, because it will be necessaryto heat the switch only during storms, and in clear cold weather whenthere is no danger of the switch becoming clogged with snow it will notbe necessary to heat it.

A non-freezing fluid has the advantage that under such circumstances itwill not become frozen or congealed at ordinary low temperatures. Suchan oil is well-known and can be readily obtained in the market.

Some advantages of using oil for the heating medium is that it servesthe double func tion of heating and lubricating, that it does notcorrode the conduit, that it can be heated to a very high temperaturewithout vaporizing, and that a larger number of heat units can be storedup in a given quantity of oil than in the same quantity of many otherfluids.

I may, if desired, cover the bottom and sides of the bed-piece with somesuitable covering of non-heat-conducting material, so as to prevent theheat from being wasted by radiation, and I may also similarly cover thepipes connecting the bed-pieces 7.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a switch, a movable switch-rail, abedpiece on which saidswitch-rail rests, said bedpiece having means for the circulation ofheated oil therethrough, and means for automatically lubricating saidswitch-rail.

2. In a switch, a movable switch-rail, a bedpiece on which said railrests, said bed-piece having provision for the circulation of oiltherethrough, and a valve controlled by the movement of the switch-rail,said valve controlling the flow of oil to the parts to be lubricated.

3. A pivoted switch-rail, a bed-piece beneath said rail, said bed-piecehaving provision for the circulation of a heating fluid therethrough,means to heat the said fluid, and means to force the heated fluidthrough the bed-piece.

4:. A plurality of pivoted switch-rails, a bedpiece beneath eachswitch-rail, each bed-piece having connected passages therethrough,pipesconnecting the bed-pieces, means to heat a fluid, and means connectedwith the heating means and bed-pieces whereby the fluid is forcedthrough the heater and bed-pieces in succession.

5. A plurality of movable switch-rails, a chambered bed-piece beneatheach switch-rail, a conduit connecting said bed-pieces and communicatingwith the chamber or chambers of each whereby said chambers form part ofthe conduit, oil filling the conduit and chambers, means to heat theoil, and means to cause the oil to circulate through the conduit.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK L. YOUNG. Witnesses:

LOUIS C. SMITH, MARGARET A. DUNN.

